I really know nothing about gardening. Indeed, we only have a balcony
and it only currently has two plants - a bonsai lemon tree and a mini-
palm. Now I say mini-palm because I actually have no idea what it is
really called. A photo of it is at http://www.brookwade.com/palm1.jpg
..

We've had this plant/tree for a few years but recently a white growth
is appearing on the trunk. It appears to be a fungus but, as I say, I
have no knowledge whatsoever. Photos of the problem:
http://www.brookwade.com/palm2.jpg
http://www.brookwade.com/palm3.jpg

Does anyone know what this is and what I can do about it? Can someone
tell me what my plant/tree is actually called?!

Many thanks,

Paul

"Paul Kaye" wrote in message
news:2e8bb241-f188-4438-aba4- We've had this plant/tree for a few years but
recently a white growth
is appearing on the trunk. It appears to be a fungus but, as I say, I
have no knowledge whatsoever. Photos of the problem:
http://www.brookwade.com/palm2.jpg
http://www.brookwade.com/palm3.jpg


That is not fungus, it is scale.
Rub off as much as you can then use insecticidal soap.


--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6b
http://www.cearbhaill.com

On Sep 22, 8:45*pm, "Buderschnookie" wrote:
"Paul Kaye" wrote in message

news:2e8bb241-f188-4438-aba4- We've had this plant/tree for a few years but
recently a white growth

is appearing on the trunk. It appears to be a fungus but, as I say, I
have no knowledge whatsoever. Photos of the problem:
http://www.brookwade.com/palm2.jpg
http://www.brookwade.com/palm3.jpg

That is not fungus, it is scale.
Rub off as much as you can then use insecticidal soap.

--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6bhttp://www.cearbhaill.com

Hi Toni,

Thanks for your reply. What exactly is a scale? Is it at all
detrimental to the health of the plant or is it just an aesthetic
issue?

Paul

"Paul Kaye" wrote in message
news:96d64b24-2053-40c7-8e22-

Thanks for your reply. What exactly is a scale? Is it at all
detrimental to the health of the plant or is it just an aesthetic
issue?



Scale are plant sucking parasites, and can multiply rapidly and cause
serious problems if left unchecked.
Fairly easy to control, though.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg005



--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6b
http://www.cearbhaill.com

Paul Kaye wrote:
snip

Does anyone know what this is and what I can do about it? Can someone
tell me what my plant/tree is actually called?!

Hi,
Buderschnookie has ID'd the problem and a solution for your Alexandra
palm, aka Archontophoenix alexandrae. She mentions rubbing the scale off
first which is OK but the brownish 'fuzzy' stuff is a natural waxy
protection and should be left. Check the link she posted first to ID the
scale before proceeding.
Now to the care of your palm which is not actually a mini,it can grow
over 50 feet tall in the ground. Your palm needs to be re-potted as it
appears to have lost a lot of soil and the browned tips can indicate a
root bound condition.
The palm needs to be planted at the top of the pot. Do not add soil to
the surface. Remove the plant and using a saw or perhaps a large
serrated knife, cut two inches from the bottom of the root ball. Also
slice two inches vertically all around the ball. Add and firm enough new
soil to the bottom of the pot to bring the palm to the top. Add soil
around the edges and firm. Don't fertilize until new growth appears. If
you are in an area where this palm stays out all year you can do the
re-pot now. If it comes in for the winter, wait till spring.

HTH -_- how

--
no NEWS is good

On Sep 23, 3:38 am, Paul Kaye wrote:
On Sep 22, 8:45 pm, "Buderschnookie" wrote:



"Paul Kaye" wrote in message

news:2e8bb241-f188-4438-aba4- We've had this plant/tree for a few years but
recently a white growth

is appearing on the trunk. It appears to be a fungus but, as I say, I
have no knowledge whatsoever. Photos of the problem:
http://www.brookwade.com/palm2.jpg
http://www.brookwade.com/palm3.jpg

That is not fungus, it is scale.
Rub off as much as you can then use insecticidal soap.

--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6bhttp://www.cearbhaill.com

Hi Toni,

Thanks for your reply. What exactly is a scale? Is it at all
detrimental to the health of the plant or is it just an aesthetic
issue?

Paul

They are actually insects of the order Hemiptera ("true
bugs"...entomologists get all antsy (pun intended) when you call some
other kind of insect a bug).

Here's some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect

and

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=11385

Chris

On Sep 24, 3:25*am, "Buderschnookie" wrote:
"Paul Kaye" wrote in message

news:96d64b24-2053-40c7-8e22-

Thanks for your reply. What exactly is a scale? Is it at all
detrimental to the health of the plant or is it just an aesthetic
issue?

Scale are plant sucking parasites, and can multiply rapidly and cause
serious problems if left unchecked.
Fairly easy to control, though.http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg005

--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6bhttp://www.cearbhaill.com

Hi,

Thanks - that's helped. Mine look most like the first photo on your
link.

Hi,
Buderschnookie has ID'd the problem and a solution for your Alexandra
palm, aka Archontophoenix alexandrae. She mentions rubbing the scale off
first which is OK but the brownish 'fuzzy' stuff is a natural waxy
protection and should be left. Check the link she posted first to ID the
scale before proceeding.
Now to the care of your palm which is not actually a mini,it can grow
over 50 feet tall in the ground. Your palm needs to be re-potted as it
appears to have lost a lot of soil and the browned tips can indicate a
root bound condition.
The palm needs to be planted at the top of the pot. Do not add soil to
the surface. Remove the plant and using a saw or perhaps a large
serrated knife, cut two inches from the bottom of the root ball. Also
slice two inches vertically all around the ball. Add and firm enough new
soil to the bottom of the pot to bring the palm to the top. Add soil
around the edges and firm. Don't fertilize until new growth appears. If
you are in an area where this palm stays out all year you can do the
re-pot now. If it comes in for the winter, wait till spring.

HTH -_- how

--
no NEWS is good

Whew - that's a lot of work for someone as inexperienced as me! I have
actually been wondering about the pot size so will re-pot soon. Could
you perhaps point me to a tutorial on how to do this? I'm worried
about making a mistake - I wouldn't want to kill it! I don't even know
what a root ball is! I've found this definition: http://www.answers.com/topic/root-ball
but wouldn't want to make a mistake. Are you saying to trim two inches
off of the depth and breadth of whatever root clump is in the soil? Or
to trim the roots down so that they extend only two inches from the
central 'ball'? As you can tell, I have no idea what I'm doing and
don't even know what the roots will look like when I remove the palm
from its pot!

Thanks for all your help,
Paul

On Sep 24, 10:13*pm, Chris wrote:
On Sep 23, 3:38 am, Paul Kaye wrote:



On Sep 22, 8:45 pm, "Buderschnookie" wrote:

"Paul Kaye" wrote in message

news:2e8bb241-f188-4438-aba4- We've had this plant/tree for a few years but
recently a white growth

is appearing on the trunk. It appears to be a fungus but, as I say, I
have no knowledge whatsoever. Photos of the problem:
http://www.brookwade.com/palm2.jpg
http://www.brookwade.com/palm3.jpg

That is not fungus, it is scale.
Rub off as much as you can then use insecticidal soap.

--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6bhttp://www.cearbhaill.com

Hi Toni,

Thanks for your reply. What exactly is a scale? Is it at all
detrimental to the health of the plant or is it just an aesthetic
issue?

Paul

They are actually insects of the order Hemiptera ("true
bugs"...entomologists get all antsy (pun intended) when you call some
other kind of insect a bug).

Here's some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect

and

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=11385

Chris

Thanks, that's great info. Trouble is, I can't help feeling
itchy... ;-)

Over application of nitrogen fertilizer places many trees in a
predisposition to sucking insects. Just ask the xmas tree industry. They
fertilize with the element nitrogen to gain 4" of growth then they have to
get rid of the sucking insects.


--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Tree Biologist
www.treedictionary.com
and
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
Watch out for so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, tornado's, volcanic eruptions and other
abiotic forces keep reminding humans that they are not the boss.

"Buderschnookie" wrote in message
...

"Paul Kaye" wrote in message
news:96d64b24-2053-40c7-8e22-

Thanks for your reply. What exactly is a scale? Is it at all
detrimental to the health of the plant or is it just an aesthetic
issue?



Scale are plant sucking parasites, and can multiply rapidly and cause
serious problems if left unchecked.
Fairly easy to control, though.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg005



--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6b
http://www.cearbhaill.com

"Paul Kaye" wrote in message
news:aa0c8016-c01b-45e8-b2d4-
Whew - that's a lot of work for someone as inexperienced as me! I have
actually been wondering about the pot size so will re-pot soon. Could
you perhaps point me to a tutorial on how to do this? I'm worried
about making a mistake - I wouldn't want to kill it! I don't even know
what a root ball is!


Text:
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/Dumm...ng.id-457.html
or
http://www.weekendgardener.net/how-t...und-plants.htm


Video:
http://video.about.com/gardening/How...ot-a-Plant.htm



--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6b
http://www.cearbhaill.com

symplastless wrote:
Over application of nitrogen fertilizer places many trees in a
predisposition to sucking insects. Just ask the xmas tree industry. They
fertilize with the element nitrogen to gain 4" of growth then they have to
get rid of the sucking insects.


Unrelated to the question, as usual.

"D. Staples" wrote in message
omsupplyinc...
symplastless wrote:
Over application of nitrogen fertilizer places many trees in a
predisposition to sucking insects. Just ask the xmas tree industry.
They fertilize with the element nitrogen to gain 4" of growth then they
have to get rid of the sucking insects.


Unrelated to the question, as usual. Don Staples - Consulting Salvage Hog
http://www.livingston.net/dstaples/Services/salvage.htm

In reality Don Staples claims to be a "consulting forester" while he refuses
to define specifically what that is at his website at:
http://www.livingston.net/dstaples/forestry/staples.htm

PLEASE DEFINE WHAT YOU ARE. "CONSULTING FORESTER" YOUR LINK IS DEAD.
@ http://www.livingston.net/dstaples/forestry/staples.htm


Ok, then, Don Staples. Please provide data specific to Texas that states
that your salvage and restoration work increases the health of a forest
rather
than what I state, that your practice is deforestation. Please
provide the page and paragraph number where your data can be found stating
that you increase forest health by your salvage and restoration work. You
claim I am a fraud while all along you promote deforestation claiming sound
treatment for landowners investment. You claim to be a consulting forester.
Please consult and provide the data for your practice.

"sympleass" wrote in message
. ..

"D. Staples" wrote in message
omsupplyinc...
symplastless wrote:
Over application of nitrogen fertilizer places many trees in a
predisposition to sucking insects. Just ask the xmas tree industry.
They fertilize with the element nitrogen to gain 4" of growth then they
have to get rid of the sucking insects.


Unrelated to the question, as usual. Don Staples - Consulting Salvage Hog
http://www.livingston.net/dstaples/Services/salvage.htm

In reality Don Staples claims to be a "consulting forester" while he
refuses to define specifically what that is at his website at:
http://www.livingston.net/dstaples/forestry/staples.htm

PLEASE DEFINE WHAT YOU ARE. "CONSULTING FORESTER" YOUR LINK IS DEAD.
@ http://www.livingston.net/dstaples/forestry/staples.htm


Ok, then, Don Staples. Please provide data specific to Texas that states
that your salvage and restoration work increases the health of a forest
rather
than what I state, that your practice is deforestation. Please
provide the page and paragraph number where your data can be found stating
that you increase forest health by your salvage and restoration work. You
claim I am a fraud while all along you promote deforestation claiming
sound treatment for landowners investment. You claim to be a consulting
forester. Please consult and provide the data for your practice.

Provide proof you are a sentient human, and I may, otherwise, yard boy,
stick it.